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Lions' Romeo Okwara: Inks new extension

by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire

Okwara signed a two-year contract extension with the Lions on Friday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

The 23-year-old was outstanding for the Lions last season, racking up 39 tackles (28 solo), seven sacks and one forced fumble in 15 games. Per NFL Network, Okwara's deal will average more than $3.095 million and has incentives built in. The Notre Dame product will likely be a focal point in the defense, as Detroit figures out what they want to do with fellow defensive end Ezekiel Ansah.

Okwara registered one tackle and one quarterback hit during Sunday's victory over the Packers.

Okwara thus ends his breakout season on a low note, statistically speaking, but he nonetheless finishes 2018 with 39 tackles and a team-leading 7.5 sacks to his name. The third-year edge rusher is extremely likely to return to Detroit in 2018 given his impending restricted free agent status, which is great news for a Lions team that may not be able to give into the contract demands of injury-prone defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder). As a projected full-time starter alongside run-stuffing nose tackle Damon Harrison, Okwara looks to have some upside in many IDP formats in 2019.

Okwara is now up to 7.5 sacks on the season, passing teammate Devon Kennard for the Lions' team lead in that category along the way. However, the breakout Notre Dame product is only averaging 2.7 tackles per game this year and is reliant on getting to the quarterback to have a worthwhile fantasy outing.

Okwara recorded three tackles and one sack during Sunday's victory over Arizona.

Okwara just continues to impress and is now up to 6.5 sacks on the season. His emergence has been great news for a Lions team that is now without injury-prone defensive end Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder). However, Okwara has recorded more than four tackles in just two of 13 games this season and is hard to trust as an IDP asset.

Okwara had four tackles (two solo) and a half-sack in Thursday's loss to the Bears.

Okwara was a late addition for the Lions at the beginning of the season, but he now has 29 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble through 10 games. The 23-year-old led Lions defensive ends with a 66-percent snap share Thursday and should continue to be a heavy presence in the defensive-line rotation.